Stonemasonry is the craft of shaping rough pieces of rock into accurate geometrical shapes, mostly simple, but some of considerable complexity, and then arranging the resulting stones, often together with mortar, to form structures.

Quarrymen split veins, or sheets of rock, and extract the resulting blocks of stone from the ground.

Sawyers cut these rough blocks into cubes, to required sizes.

Banker masons are mostly workshop based, and specialize in carving stones into intricate geometrical shapes required by a building's design. They can produce anything from stones with simplechamfers to tracery windows, detailed mouldings and the more classical architectural building masonry. When working a stone from a sawn block, the mason ensures that the stone is bedded in the right way, so the finished work sits in the building in the same orientation as it was formed on the ground. The basic tools, methods and skills of the banker mason have existed as a trade for thousands of years.

Carvers cross the line from craft to art, and use their artistic ability to carve stone into foliage, figures, animals or abstract designs.

Fixer masons specialize in the fixing of stones onto buildings using traditional lime mortars and grouts also modern cements, mastics and epoxy resins are used, usually on specialist applications such as stone cladding. Metal fixings, from simple dowels and cramps to specialised single application fixings, are also used. The precise tolerances necessary make this a highly skilled job.

Apprentice a novice in the craft of stonemasonry, apprenticeship 4-7 years.

Fellowcraft or Journeyman who has completed an apprenticeshipin the craft of stonemasonry but not yet a master mason. To become a master mason, a journeyman has to submit a master work piece to a guild for evaluation and be admitted as a master mason

Master Mason a skilled mason in all aspects of the craft of stonemasonry.